It looks like I touched a very obvious nerve with my last post on frequent fliers: Someone Failed… Is it the System? – Everyday EMS Ethics – Every EMS person, and almost every healthcare provider is faced with the problem of the frequent flier… someone who, for whatever reason, consumes more time, energy, and resources than does almost any other part of the population.

Before the call that I wrote about on that very shift a landscaper who was working on the lawn near our fuel pumps came over and struck up a conversation while I was filling up the truck. Nice guy, he was. We talked about the community’s ambulance service and I filled him in on some things that I want the public to know about us, and about EMS in general. He was pretty intrigued and stated that he had no idea that our calls ran into the thousands from just that small town. He had no idea that our pay was so low, or that the town paid us such a pittance in tax money. As for the call volume, he asked:

“But aren’t a lot of those calls from people who don’t need an ambulance and are just wasting your time?”

Nope. Only new paramedics fall into the trap of judging their patients. I don’t like to judge, although I’m human too, but it’s my job to take care of people. I’ve given my whole career to taking care of my fellow man on their terms, not mine. I want to help people and it’s why I’ve gotten up every morning for the last ten or so years. I just wish that I had the tools to really help them, to do something other than just haul them off to the ER. I wish I had more professional authority to do something different… maybe even to show them some tough love to break their cycle of sucking at the teat of society.

Again, call me naive.

Honestly, since I wrote that post I’ve been extremely busy and haven’t had the time to put the requisite effort into writing something to equal the caliber of my blogger buddy’s collective answers. However, this gives me an opportunity to trot something out that I wrote a few months back. I think that it’s an answer to the frequent flier problem. I don’t think that it will ever be truly “solved” unless everyone suddenly decides that they are the masters of their own existence and takes full responsibility for their own lives, but then again, in that case EMS wouldn’t be much fun anymore.

Andrew RandazzoWhy do Ambulances Carry Epi-Pens?Interesting. I've never heard of ambulances carrying EpiPens. I've worked in Wisconsin and Tennessee. Both places have always allowed EMT-B to draw up from Epi ampules. However, when seconds count, I could see EpiPens being something EMTs and Paramedics could benefit from. It's just costly.
2015-03-18 09:34:00

totwtytrWhy do Ambulances Carry Epi-Pens?It's definitely faster and it's accurate. There's really no down side to it at all. Other than the fact that some people give it when it's not needed, but that's not dose related.
2015-03-17 21:01:00

DoYouKnowShitFuck?Colorado CRNAs Vs. Virginia Physicians? An interesting feud for EMSThey "choose" it because the administrative portion of billing for service is a nightmare. Who doesn't just want to clock in, do the job, and go home? Some of you people must've never set foot in a hospital or dealt with docs in any capacity. Pay your tuition and you'll make it through med school.
2015-03-17 00:18:00